ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights some of the key elements of Freudian thought and how they have played a part in shaping psychiatric thinking, historically and currently. Sigmund Freud has a significant place in the history of mental health in western societies. While Freud’s many followers have tended to interpret his teachings in narrow, individualistic ways within the field of psychology, Bocock helps us to interpret his ideas more broadly to incorporate a sociological dimension. Freud’s approach is less influential than it once was, but it is none the less the case that his writings have proven to be of major significance in shaping theory and practice over several decades. In some ways, the writings on mental health of Freud and his many followers have been a mainstay of much psychiatric work, serving in some ways as a counterbalance to the biomedical model and, in some ways, reinforcing it.
